SAMWOY Announces Debut Solo LP 'Awkward Party'

SAMWOY (FHANG, Half Moon Run) today announces his debut solo album Awkward Party, and shares the video "Hate Me".

SAMWOY, the moniker of Montreal-based songwriter and JUNO award winning producer Sam Woywitka, is joined on the album by some of Montreal's top musical guns- Mishka Stein (Patrick Watson,FHANG) on the bass, Robbie Kuster (Patrick Watson) on drums, and Erika Angell (Thus Owls) on vocals. Awkward Party is set for release on June 2nd 2023 via Woywitka's own label, Hidden Ship Records.

"Hate Me" is a song about a lost anti-hero who has fallen on hard times. Speaking on the track SAMWOY explains, "Some of the lyrics are dangerous, some are desperate, but all of them seem to recognize something in myself that we can all relate to. Being a burden on your own life, while simultaneously becoming a survivor. This song is a conversation with my past self. Finding love and acceptance of all the bad choices I have made all along the way. Hoping that my teenage self would be proud of the person I have become."

"Hate Me" is the third track to be taken from Awkward Party and has been preceded by the singles "WhiteDog" and "Sbwriel." These singles illustrate the vastness of the aesthetic terrain SAMWOY offerings cover-from jazzy odd-time drum grooves, to full-on '80s film soundtrack synthscapes, from deep and dance floor-ready four-on-the-floor beats, to beautiful, blurry atmospherics, and beyond. With his hands engaged in every facet of artistic creation-from performances to production to visuals-his compositions are truly distinct and personal.

The tragic locus of Awkward Party's emotional core was a near-fatal car wreck Woywitka was ensnared in his youth. Gruesome injury and a grueling healing process lead to the dissociative states evoked by the album's relentless collaging of voices and moods.

Through combating the crash's trauma and weathering the shockwaves through his tiny Vancouver Island hometown, Woywitka developed a sense of urgency in developing and putting forward a vision of recovery, creating beauty out of darkness. Taken as a whole, SAMWOY'S command over the disparate elements that are wrangled together here puts into motion a dazzling beast of an album. Awkward Party is a bold statement from an artist with a fully-realized vision, ready to both challenge and reward adventurous listeners.

Sam Woywitka is a Montreal-based songwriter and JUNO award winning producer, who is also half of the genre-busting electronic duo FHANG with bass legend Mishka Stein. Woywitka's production highlights include working alongside Grammy-winning producers DJ Khalil and Chin Injeti. Woywitka won a Juno award for his work on Half Moon Run's 2019 album A Blemish in the Great Light.

Awkward Party is out June 2nd via Hidden Ship Records. Watch the new music video here:

Credit: Samuel Woywitka